


Worldbuilding 8: Reunion, Awkward.

by JoAsakura



Series: X-Force: Mutant Crimes Investigation Unit [8]
Category: MCIU
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-22
Updated: 2010-10-22
Packaged: 2017-10-12 19:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/128457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAsakura/pseuds/JoAsakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate's putting the band back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worldbuilding 8: Reunion, Awkward.

Scene: a crowded flea market, Paris, saturday

Cable found him pawing through old movie posters at the St-Ouen flea market. Rictor looked up from the french-release "Highlander" poster to find Nate Pryor watching him indulgently.

The big man gave him a little wave, and Ric immediately began to map out the nearest possible escape route.

"Hey there, Ric." He said in that grumbly-bear sort of voice that itched at the back of Ric's ear.

"Before I say anything else, are you really here? or is this some thing in my mind that's gonna have all these good people starin' at me in the next 10 seconds?" Ric held up a hand.

"I'm a psychic projection. They can see me, but I can't really touch anything, you know." Nate said with a shrug.

Ric set the poster down. "What do you want, Cable?" He started to ask, then stopped. "Wait, no, let me guess with my super mutant powers. You're here because you're puttin' the band back together. One more hoo-rah for X-Force. Am I close?"

"Actually, yes. Sort of." Nate said.

"Then no." Ric spat out, turning his back and walking as briskly as he could through the press of shoppers.

"Why not?" Nate was right next to him. Goddamn psychic holograms.

"Two words, Nate. Hoover Dam." Ric growled.

"Now that's just plain mean." Nate said. "Look, Ric. This is genuinely legitimate. Just give me five minutes to..."

"LEGITIMATE?" Ric shouted, realising too late that the market had grown somewhat quiet and the people around him were staring. "Legitimate? Nate, I've known you since I was 17, and in all that time there is not one single thing you've done that was even remotely legal. I learned how to drive a manual shift on a goddamn stolen assault vehicle, for fuck's sake!"

"Ric, I swear to you. Val Cooper's backing this. Sam's already signed on." Nate held up his hands placatingly.

"Sam. You mean to tell me that Captain Boyscout has left his coveted position with the world's third most popular superhero team to work for YOUR sorry, broke down cyborg ass?"

"Yes."

Nate was actually smirking, damn him, Rictor thought, then paused. "...Nate. Are you going to talk to ...everyone?"

The smirk disappeared and Nate just nodded. "Yes. Yes I am."

"Ok. Maybe." Ric said grudgingly, then. "Give me your pitch."

~~  
Scene: a warehouse, somewhere on the california coast. Seedy.

Shatterstar was eating lunch (cheese sandwich with pickle) when he noticed Cable watching him. "Nate." He said without much surprise. "Are you really here, or is this one of those psychic things that will have my coworkers thinking I'm insane?"

"Why does everyone ask me that?" Nate said, sitting down next to him. "No, I'm actually here."

"I have to check. I already have a reputation of eccentricity." 'Star said calmly.

"I can't imagine why." Nate looked around at the docks. "What the hell are you doing, anyways?"

"Taking a vacation." 'Star said, catching a stray crumb on the corner of his mouth. "I wanted to take a break from "the life" as Domino calls it. A job we had recently went very badly and I thought it might be good to keep my head down for a while."

"Working day labour in a warehouse." Nate said.

'Star shrugged. "No one has tried to shoot me in weeks. That's kind of refreshing." He set down his lunch pail and looked at Cable hard. "Now. What do you want, Nate?"

"How would you like to be a policeman, Shatterstar?" Nate grinned. "A chance to do some good on the right side of the law for once?"

'Star quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're putting X-Force back together, and we won't be on the run?" He asked.

Nate nodded. "Rictor's signed on." He said after a moment, watching the expressions change on 'Star's face.

Finally, 'Star sighed. "Not fair. Ok. Tell me more."

~~~

One week later:

It was nice enough of Monet to let Ric stay with her. After all, she'd strongarmed Cable into joining this new creature he was forming.

He'd gone on foot to the brownstone where this new iteration of X-Force, "Mutant Crimes Investigation Unit" Cable had called it, was going to be based and rocked on his feet, deciding whether or not to go in. Sam, Jimmy, Terry, 'Berto.. Almost all of his old friends. Tabby had declined, so had Feral- the latter shacked up in Mumbai with an IT outsourcing guy with a fetish for catgirls. But the rest of the team..

Including... Ric swallowed. He couldn't do it. He couldn't go in there and face 'Star again. Not after the things he'd said to him in Mexico. It had taken Ric nearly a year to read the letter Domino had passed on to him, one page in 'Star's child-neat tiny handwriting.

"Julio?" At first, Ric thought he was hallucinating the silk-gravel of 'Star's voice with the almost-Russian lilt of his accent. But he turned, and there he was, down the sidewalk, red hair bright in the afternoon sun.

"'Star." Ric stammered a little and started to look for an escape. "Hey. You.."

"You look well." 'Star said, not quite making eye contact. (Oh, good) Ric thought. This was awkward for both of them. But seeing him, that fierce face uncharacteristically shy, Ric felt a surge of something, hope that was traitorous to his resolution.

"I'm looking forward to working with you again." 'Star said, raking back his hair. "I hope we can be friends again." He added after a long pause.

"I don't want to be friends with you." Ric blurted out, and then took a sharp breath. 'Star actually took a step backwards, shocked, then hurt. "No. no. That's not.. that's not what I meant." Ric flailed.

"Julio, what are you going on about?" 'Star asked cautiously, scowling.

Ric fidgeted again, then took a deep breath. "I. I.. I..don't deserve it. But. I mean, yes, I want us to be friends. I never wanted us to *not* be friends and I was stupid and I.." He started flailing again. "I never stopped ... you know. You know, loving you and.. I.."

Being New York, none of the passing pedestrians even blinked as Ric's voice rose with incremental (and vaguely hysterical) emotion.

He stopped to see something small tug at the corner of 'Star's mouth. "What?"

"I'm glad to see you too." Was all that 'Star would say.


End file.
